How does holism apply to corporate chair massage? – http://www.eventschairmassage.com – Through a theory called “kinesthetic holism.” This theory presents the idea that a structural or energetic imbalance such as we experience when we have backaches and back pain can only be understood in terms of its relation to a larger body of information. A muscular problem for instance would be connected to postural imbalances, structural factors such as heal position, one leg being shorter than the other, imbalances in meridians, emotional issues and cranial sacral imbalances.
Kinesthetic holism is fueled by the interaction of contradictory opposites which can be confusing for a massage therapist. The two schools of thought within academia that wrestle with this reality of opposites are commonly known as “Holism” and “Reductionism.”
Reductionism in massage is the most popular of theories for solving
muscular problems through formal scientific methods.
Massage reductionism presents the idea that any massage or bodywork system, no matter how complex can be understood by reducing it to its most basic units. Thus, from the reductionist perspective, the basics of massage can be found in the relationship between muscle, ligaments, tendons, bones etc and the basics of biology, which is part of most formal massage therapy training can be understood through the essential elements found through chemistry and biology. Reductionism defines much of what has come to be known as the classical scientific approach to massage.
How does the Theory of Reductionism contradict the theory of Holism?” Reductionism says that if we can understand what is basic in a system, than we can understand what is complex. Holism tells us that nothing is as it seems in a system, since that basic thing you can isolate will still be influenced by every other unit in the system.
In reductionism what you see is what you get but most massage therapists are likely to say that there is much more going on between the lines. In Holism the sum may end up being greater than the parts.
In this book we will be exploring how the contradiction between the holistic model and the reductionist model in relation to the advanced practice of massage can be reconciled. There is no need to force conciliation of these ideas. When things are logical, reductionism is the way to go, however in a world where all things are not as they seem and intuition, and right brain/left braining thinking exists, it will be a natural process for these two ideas to integrate. For the advanced massage therapist Holism and Reductionism become complementary.
Holism is really just a non-linear form of reductionism. After all, in a holistic model, you are reducing the different systems of massage to their system to its basic unit. In many cases, the most basic unit consists of more than one quality. For example In Holistic massage a human being may seem like a single unit, but we know that in fact all humans are made up of many chemicals and can also be characterized as structural, chemical, and emotional parts. He or she may seem like “one” but is actually “many.” The practical application of Holistic massage to an advanced practice is that the emotional biochemical, structural and spiritual aspect of the client must be addressed to have a successful outcome. Dealing with one of these factors and ignoring other factors will limit the success of the therapeutic process.
Lewis Harrison is a writer, content-rich, motivational speaker, and an entrepreneur specializing in game based thinking, applied game theory and Game Thinking.
Known as the RealUGuru. He is the author of over twenty-two books published in five languages. This blog is an extract from his book:
“Hands on Healing: Total health Through Massage the Shaman’s Way”
The book is available, with the author’s autograph and private notes at:
In addition Lewis is a seminar leader, futurist, NPR affiliated radio talk show (WIOXRadio.org) host, success and life coach and a best-selling author.
He is the creator of a web site – http://www.RealUGuru.com that focuses on the application of gamification, decision science, positive psychology, happiness, and visionary thinking to solve basic, complex and extreme problems. He is the creator of a free course on business success and human potential.
Here is a short interview with Lewis;
His company http://www.eventschairmassage.com offers Corporate chair massage to meeting planners, event planners, association meetings and trade shows. He also offers these stress management and onsite massage services in NYC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, Greensboro, Columbus Ohio and many other cities across the United States through http://www.NoStressSpeaker.com.
The Royal Victorian Catskills Bed and Breakfast 